Who is the owner of a shared folder?

Updated Oct 28, 2025

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The information in this article applies to all Dropbox users, unless otherwise stated.

The person who creates a shared folder is automatically set as its owner, unless the folder is created within another person's shared folder. 
 

Owners have extra administrative functions, such as the ability to: 

You can find out who the owner of a folder is by going to the folder's options.

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Important: Only those with edit permissions have the ability to view or manage the access list.

How to find the owner of a folder on Dropbox

  1. Log in to dropbox.com.
  2. Click  (more options) next to the folder you’d like to determine the owner of.
  3. Select Manage permissions.
  4. Scroll through the access list to see who’s marked as the folder owner.
  1. Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
  2. Right-click the folder you’d like to determine the owner of.
  3. Select Share… next to  (Dropbox).
    • Note: If File Provider (iOS) is opted out, this won’t be an available option.
  4. Click Who can access.
  5. Scroll through the access list to see who’s marked as the folder owner.
  1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
  2. Tap  (more options) on Android or  (more options) on iOS next to the folder you’d like to determine the owner of.
  3. Tap Manage access.
  4. Tap the members to show the list of who has access.
  5. Scroll through the access list to see who’s marked as the folder owner.
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Note: If you’re a member of a Dropbox team and don't see an owner listed, the folder is either owned by admins on your team, or by someone outside your team. Contact your admin to find out if the folder is admin-owned.

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